Shifted

Trees traverse these fragile years

beetles fill the deepest cracks

shallow boles hold resting birds

in silhouettes of carbon black.

etched on pine are scripted words.

calligraphy to ossify

while half aloft the whitest ash

coats skeletons that hold the sky

bone fingers held by stubborn will.

The undersoil plans in secret tongue

to climb and cover this scaffolding

of branches with new banners hung

while none divine what time will bring.

seasons will bend, painted in their way

a shifted hue for each, maybe.

For now, the trance goes on

as roots comingle and conspire

in close wet earth to speak of green.

published at Masticadores USA, Dec. 7, 2022.

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